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Gravy Icing (For Cakes)

Total Time

55mins

Prep 10 mins

Cook 45 mins

This cake icing is something my mum used to make, and her mum before her, and is wonderful on chocolate or orange flavored cake or red velvets. It's really hard describing what this icing is like, except to say that it doesn't have that super sweet taste of icings made with confectionary sugars. More of the sweetness of a sweet whipped cream.

Directions

Start this icing before you bake your cake. By the time the cake is done and cooled, the cooked portion of this recipe is cooled enough to do the last steps.

Put flour in a small, heavy saucepan. Whisk the milk into the flour slowly so you have no lumps. Add salt and vanilla.

Over a low heat, cook the mixture, stirring constantly so you don't scorch it, until it is thick and pasty (will form into a sort of soft ball). Once it gets to this stage, take it off the heat and set the pan, uncovered, into the refrigerator.

When flour goop is completely cooled (cold), combine it in a large mixing bowl with the sugar, shortening and butter. Whip with electric mixer -- whip whip whip -- and keep whipping until on a taste test it's smooth and the sugar is not "grainy". The whipping process can (and does) take several minutes.

Yields enough icing to ice one COMPLETELY COOLED 2-layer cake (lay it on thick!). Store frosted cake in the refrigerator.

Note: DO NOT soften or melt the butter in the microwave. Just set it out in the morning or the night before you plan on making it.